Keyworker stops taking London transport to work as he finds it difficult to stay safe due to crammed underground services.
BBC assistant editor George Mann, 52, who lives in Woodford Green decided to start getting a cab to work on the first official day of lockdown. He said:
“A couple of weeks ago, I thought it was fine. People were staying at home so there was plenty of room on the tube.
“However after the weekend, London Underground dramatically reduced the number of trains. It was deeply unpleasant and the carriages were rammed so I stopped using them then.”
TfL closed 40 underground station to prevent the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, as well as limiting bus services and stopped night tube services until further notice.
These changes have been made to help with the UK government guidelines on social distancing, including avoiding non-essential travel on public transport, stopping any large and small gatherings in public spaces and Avoiding gatherings with friends and family.
Alongside NHS advice on ways to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. Which includes leaving your home for limited purposes: shopping for basic necessities, one form of exercise a day or any medical need.
As figures from NHS England reveal, the death toll in the capital has passed 3,000 including 26 Tfl workers.
Other commuters have also expressed their frustration and struggle on travelling to work with Tfl during lockdown:
George also believes that the government should have done more to ensure social distancing is taking place on London transport.
“I think several bodies could have done better Until the end of March, London Transport was still sending workers in for Crossrail. The dramatic drop off in trains was badly communicated and badly executed.”
In a statement made by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, he said: “tube users were 88% down and bus users were 76% down.”
However, he continued to urge Londoners to do the right thing and stay at home.
